BelCham 100

BELCHAM100
Learn from the Past. Celebrate the Present. Shape the Future.

Meet our community: 2imagine | 3D Systems Co. | 3M Belgium | A. C. Nielsen International Inc. | A. Maison LLC |
Inc. | ACCESS New Orleans | ACCURIS | Ackermans & van Haaren | Actors Theater Workshop | Adagio USA | Adam S
Partners LLP | African Metals Co. | AG Group | AG Real Estate | AGFA GEVAERT | Ahlers SA/NV | Ahold Delhaize | A
Foods Inc. | Altios | Aluvision | Alvey Inc. | AM/NS Calvert LLC | AMAX Inc. | Ambra Health | American Cable & Radio Co.
Co. | Amgen Inc.| AMI Airfreight Inc. | Amoco Chemicals Co. | Amoobi SA/NV | Amphenol Co. | Amsterdam Overseas
| Arco Info Inc. | Ardo | Arendsoog | Arkensas (State of) | Armement Deppe NV | Arrayo | Art Wise | Arterys | Arthur And
Imports LLC | ATLASON Studio | Atmire | Avantida | Avery Hall Investments | Avis Rent Car | AWEX | Awingu Inc. | B-h
NV | Banden Bernaerts SA/NV | Bank of America | Baobab Collection | Barclays Bank International LTD | Barclays Ce
Beaulieu Group | Before the Wave | BEKA Eupen SA/NV. | Bekaert Steel Wire Co. | Belfius Bank SA/NV | Belga Café | Be
| Belgian National Railroads | Belgian National Tourist Office | Belgian Pakhoed NV | Belgian Shoes BVBA | Belgian To
Bergougnan Benelux SA/NV | Berndtson international SA/NV | Best & Osterrieth SA/NV | Best USA | BetterUp | BICS -
Technologies LLC | BISC Global Inc. | Biscuits Jesco | Black Math | Blake & Partners Group | BlooLoc NV | Bloom Te
Innovation | Bonbons Napoleon SA/NV | Boomset | Boone International SA/NV | Boschmans Thoumsin & Co. | Bou
Group | Brunswick Co. | Brussels Airlines | Brussels Invest & Export | Bulo | Bulvano | Bumpzoid | Bundl | Bureau Betak
Café – Mimoune | C.P. Clare & Company | C.Tennant, Sons & Company | C&S wholesale Grocers | Campo Inc. | Capco
Carts Guru | Cashforce | Catterpillar Tractor Co.| CBRE | CDM Systems Inc. | CE+T Power | Cefaly US | Central Bucks F
Chocolaterie Jacques SA/NV | CIC - Crédit Industriel et Commercial | CIEN + | Clarins USA | Cloudalize | Cleary, Gottlieb
Civil LLC | CognoScience | Cole Corette & Bradfield | Collibra | Colliers | Common Companies | Constantin Associates L
Corda INCubator | Core Home Inc. | Cornick, Garber & Sandler, LLP | Cote D’or | Coty | Court 16 | Coveo | Cranium US
D’Apostrophe | Dankers | Dantasy Foils | Dart Overseas Agency | DataCamp | David Yum Architects | DCAP Pllc | De V
| Deloitte | Delta Air Lines | Deltalight | Deminor Recovery Services Inc. | Density | Desotec | Dexia Credit Local | Dholl
Douceur de France | DS Smith, Plastics Division | DSM Biomedical Inc. | DTH CAPITAL | DuPont | DURVYN | Duvel M
| Electrobel | Elizabeth Dee Gallery | Empire Global Ventures LLC | Empire Steel Trading co, Inc. | EnergAir Solutions In
Co. | Eurosys SA/NV | Event Premiere | Exaserv Inc. | Excelente LLC | Excentis | Exellys SA/NV | Exki | Exmar Offshore
Enterprise | Fifteen24 Inc. | Fig1 Brand Studio | Fight for Sight | Find.me | Finesaler LLC| First Manhattan Co. | FIT - Fla
| FNG| Folor Inc. | Foodpairing | Ford motor company | Form | Fortino Capital Partners SA/NV | Forum hotels | Four &
Realty Capital | French Accelerator | Fromagerie-Brasserie de Maredsous | FullSix | Fully Inc. | Fzad Architecture | Gaf
Stone King | genae | General biscuit company | General motors | Gibney, Anthony & Flaherty, LLP | GIMV | GIST | Gla
Inc. | Greenlots | Group IPS | Groupe Assubel | Grumby LLC | GuardSquare | Guggenheim Brothers | Gustaf by neoS
LLC | Harry Torczyner | Hatstand US, Inc. | Haystack International SA/NV | Haystack TV | Hello Monday Inc. | Hertz in
| HoGent | Homefinders Inc. | Hotel Metropole | HR Cap| HRbuilders SA/NV | Hyatt International Co. | Hybrid Revolut
IDinsight | IHECS | Ikana Media LLC | imec vzw | In Plus Inc. | Independent Art Fairs | Industrial Control Concepts, Inc
| Intellipro Group Inc. | Intercontinental New York Barclay | International Ghent Fair | International Institute for Learning
International Travelers House, Inc. | Intix | Invisible_AI | ION | Iristick | irving trust company | iText Group SA/NV | Itiner
Survey,Inc. | Jeroen De Backer | Jet Airways | JM International Produce, Inc. | Joachim Goldenstein Diamant export | Jo
Bank | Keemotion | Keller Williams | Kellvin | Ken Cook company | Kennedy & Price | Kevan Hoertdoerfer Architects | Key

| A.M.I. | A2M sc sprl | ABD Securities Co. Abelag Aviation SA/NV | Abreos | Biosciences | AC Compacting Presses
Software | Addapp | Addemar | Addressograph Multigraph De Liege SA/NV | Adeco | Adotta America | Adswizz | AEL
Alexander & Green | Alliance for Water Efficiency | Allied Ban international | Alltransport Inc. | Almet SA/NV | Alterman
. | American Express international banking | American Institute For Foreign Study | American International Underwriters
Co. | Andrew Rhoda Inc. | Anglo Company Ltd. | Anheuser-Busch InBev | Antwerp (City of) | AOL | AppScale Systems
dersen & Co | Asbury Graphite | Assiport | Astrobel general contractors SA/NV | Atelier NY Architecture | Atlantic Food
hive | B-Token | B&MI USA Inc. | Baby Panther LLC | Badger Maps, Inc. | BAGAAR | Baker & McKenzie | Baladex SA/
enter | BARCO | Basalte Inc. | Baskin-Robbins Ice cream Europe SA/NV | Bauer international Co. | BE NY Travel Inc. |
elgian Boys | Belgian Café | Belgian Cycling Factory | BELGIAN KITCHEN LLC | Belgian Line | Belgian Linen Association
ourist Office | BelgiumBike LLC | Belize Tailored LLC | Bell Telephone Manufacturng Company SA/NV | Belpastry Inc. |
- Belgacom International Carrier Services North America Inc. | Binetti | BioBright | Biolab SA/NV | BioRICS | BirdBrain
echnologies | Blue Bell Inc. | Blue Grass Industries Inc. | Blue Line Logistics | BMI SBI | BNP Paribas Fortis | Board of
ucherie PAS LLC | bpost | Brabant Belgian Brasserie | Brasserie Magritte | Brepols SA/NV | Bringme | Brooklyn Media
| Buro | Burroughs Co. | Burson-Marsteller International | Butler Armsden Architects | Butterfly | BuzziSpace, Inc. | BXL
o | Cape Productions | Capricorn | Carbomet | Carmeuse Lime & Stone | Carre, Orban & Partners | Cartamundi Group |
Family YMCA | cf2 | Chaski Global | Checkster Inc. | Chili Publish | Chippewa County | Chocolaterie Callebaut Belgium |
b, Steen & Hamilton | Clerens Legal Partner | CMAST | CMB | CO2logic | Cobepa | Cockerill - Stainless Steel Co. | Code
LLP | Conte Law Firm | Contento | Continental bank international | Continental grain company | Continental group Inc. |
SA Inc. | Crème Design | Cronos | Crown | Cubicles | Cubigo Inc. | Culligan International Co. | Cumul.io | CVWarehoue |
Visscher & Co. | Deceunink North America | Decospan SA/NV | Deforche Construct | Delaware Consulting | Deliverect
landia | Diane Von Furstenberg Studio | Dieter Vander Velpen Architects | Digiti | DISTINC | Dizon Inc. | DoubleVerify |
Moortgat USA | E&C Group BV | Easyfairs US Inc. | Ecommerce Partners | EEM World | EGG Events USA | Elaut USA
nc. | Enertiv, Inc. | Engagor | Ernst & Ernst | Essentiel Antwerp | ETS Britte SA/NV | European American Bank & Trust
e Company | Expat & Co | EyeSee Inc. | Fagron | Fahrenheit 212 LLC | Fasma Inc. | Fehr bros Inc. | Fernando Romero
anders Investment & Trade | Flank Inc. | Florida (State of) | FLOS USA Inc. | Fluid Advertising | FLUIDDA Inc. | FMC Co.
& Five Law bvba | Foursight | Franck Muller USA | Frank Boas | Franklin Glass Co. | Freedman & Slater Inc. | Fremont
Co. | Galapagos | Galileo Global Advisors | Gatx Co. | Gaufres Champagne & Maison | GC Group Capital LLC | Gem
averbel | Global Location Strategies | Globe Showroom | Go Florida investments Inc. | Gradient Experiential | Graphis
Scores SA/NV | GWA SA/NV | H&O Equipments | Haddad Apparel Group | Handi-Move | Harmony Restaurant Group,
nternational ltd | HI7E LLC | Higher Logic | Highlife LLC | Hilton Hotels Co. | Hodgson Russ LLP | Hogarth Worldwide
tion Gear Co. LLC | IBM Co. | IBS NORTH AMERICA LLC | Icapps | ICASA | Icelandic airlines | ICOA Group | iDalko |
c. | Inno.com |Innovation Protocol | Insider Metrics | InSites | Inspire Productions | Instant Magazine B.V. | IntellectEU
g | International Logistics Solutions | International Management Solutions, Inc. | International Trademark Association |
ris SA/NV | IVC US Inc. | iVox | J.P. Sterck | Janssen Pharmaceutica SA/NV | Jaswig | Jaunt VR | Jensen Design and
ohn de Gorter | John L. Vorbach Company, Inc. | JPO Concepts, Inc. | JT Cleary, Inc. | Juneau Cayenne | KAN Inc. | KBC
yrock SA/NV. | KForce INC | KGD Architecture | Kinetic Farm, Inc. | Kitchen NY| Kleinberg, Kaplan, Wolff & Cohen, P.C. |



BelCham Centennial 01

03 Chapter 1

About BelCham

09 Chapter 2

Our history

33 Chapter 3

Our future

37 Chapter 4

BelCham Centennial

47 Chapter 5

Join us!



About BelCham

#BELCHAM100

For a century, BelCham has been an organization anchored by a small team that
punches above its weight thanks to a dedicated community that believes it can
achieve great things through collaboration.
We have gone from an unincorporated association under the Patronage of His
Majesty the King to a not-for-profit funded with government subsidies and evolved
today into an ever-growing, independent, social enterprise. From sending 4,000
telegrams a year to facilitating import and export, we now are running bi-coastal
coworking spaces as launchpads for Belgian startups in the United States, amongst
many other activities. We’ve been called upon at different times in our history to
forge a new path forward, from helping rebuild Belgian family businesses after
World War II, to promoting the importance of European multilateralism in the USA
in the 50s and 60s, lobbying against protectionism and defending Belgian SMEs in
trade disputes in the 60s and 70s, to more recently, leading the model for a modern
Chamber of Commerce in today’s world defined by technological disruption.

BelCham Centennial 05

Today, Belgium, the size of the American state of Maryland and the 23rd biggest
economy in the world, is the tenth largest investor in the American economy. Total
Belgian investments add up to $80+ billion and no fewer than 160,000 Americans
work for Belgian companies in the US. This is also reflected in BelCham today, the
third largest EU-27 Chamber of Commerce in the United States. Belgium small?
We didn’t think so. When the world says, “that’s impossible” – we say, “it can be
done.”
In a global, competitive world, BelCham has become an engine of social mobility,
economic opportunity and progress – thanks to generations of bold dreamers
& doers. As we reflect on our 100-year milestone, we look forward to a second
century of supporting Belgian businesses and ambitious changemakers - with
even more to reimagine, discover and accomplish together. Are you with us?

Marianne Amssoms,
President, BelCham

Valerie Van den Keybus & Laurence Van den Keybus,
Co-Managing Directors, BelCham

Our impact today

100 Years of local expertise

500+ Active members

15k Community members

195 Companies launched at Atelier

768 Interns and trainees placed since 2014

BelCham Centennial 07

2 Official chapters in the US
410 Executives welcomed for innovation missions since 2016
387 Events organized since 2014
27 Captain sessions hosted since 2014
33 Deal teams set up since 2014

2

2 Ourhistory

Our historic milestones

1919-1929 1930-1939

Page 13 Page 15

BelCham rises out of the The end of Prohibition
ashes of World War I opens up the US market
for Belgian beers

1970-1979 1980-1989

Page 23 Page 25

Opening Chapters in Teaching Belgians the
Chicago and Atlanta American ways of doing
business

BelCham Centennial 11

1940-1949 1950-1959 1960-1969

Page 17 Page 19 Page 21

Rebuilding Belgian export The Korean war leads Meet the Belgian
trade during and after to increased demand of American Chamber of
WW II Belgian import products Commerce in the United
States

1990-1999 2000-2009 2010-2019

Page 27 Page 29 Page 31

Introducing our Chamber Launching new Reimagining the
to the digital era services and helping Chamber for the future
young professionals



BelCham Centennial 13

BelCham’s beginnings are to be found in an unexpected context. When World War
I broke out in 1914, two main players worked together to secure and transport food
to occupied Belgium: Émile Francqui was leading the Belgian Comité National de
Secours et d’Alimentation (National Relief and Food Committee) and collaborated
with future US president Herbert Hoover who was in charge of the US Commission
for Relief in Belgium. A year after the war ended, the Belgian royal family undertook
a revolutionary ‘thank you tour’, making Albert I the first reigning monarch to visit the
US since its independence in 1776!
The festivities inspired a group of Belgian businessmen in New York, Philadelphia,
and Boston to launch ‘La Chambre de Commerce Belge aux Etats-Unis’ under the
High Patronage of Albert I and the Belgian Ambassador E. De Cartier de Marchienne.
Our Belgian Trade Bulletins served our mission to develop and encourage
commercial & industrial relations between Belgium, Belgian Congo and the USA.
Our Chamber loved exclusive locations: our first anniversary honored Herbert
Hoover and was celebrated at the Hotel Commodore, while our first Annual Dinner
in 1927 took place on the iconic S.S. Lapland, the ship that transported Titanic crew
survivors back to Europe which would later be added to the Red Star Line fleet.



BelCham Centennial 15

Despite the Great Depression, our Chamber worked hard to counter the protectionist
trade climate by organizing activities to celebrate Belgium’s 100th anniversary. We
were finally able to celebrate our impact in 1933 as the end of the Prohibition era
opened the US market for Belgian beer import. The Reciprocal Trade Treaty in 1934
made US imports of Belgian goods skyrocket with an increase of 49% the year after.
In 1935, our Chamber is preoccupied with the fact that of the 250,000 US citizens
who travel abroad in a year, only 6,000 visit Belgium. We believed this was due to a
lack of knowledge and exchange between the two countries. We advocated for the
Government to create a tourism office in the United States. We also engaged with
the International Union of United Brewery, Flour, Cereal and Soft Drink Workers of
America who voted to ban the importation of foreign barley malt. In order to safeguard
the $2.2 million worth of US imports of Belgian light malt, we were determined to
prove that this type of wheat was unique to Belgium and necessary to improve the
quality of local beers.
In 1935 our Chamber helped to promote and organize American participation in the
International Exhibition of Brussels, which welcomed over 20 million visitors from 25
different countries.



BelCham Centennial 17

While World War II was raging in Europe, our Chamber decided to modernize and
formed a new legal corporation, headquartered at 50 Rockefeller Center. After the
liberation of Belgium, Belgian Foreign Minister Paul-Henri Spaak urged our Chamber
to cooperate toward resuming trade, resulting in countless studies on economic
trends, the industrial rehabilitation of the country, the investment of US capital in
Belgium, and how to best support SMEs.
Our Chamber also demonstrated future thinking with its bold vision of a ‘Belgian
House’ in NYC - a concept that would be realized 70 years later with the launch of
‘Atelier’. We went above and beyond in assisting our growing membership base with
an average of 4,000 mail, 3,500 phone, and 600 visitor inquiries a year.
At the time, members were mainly financial institutions, shipping and a number of
notable US enterprises with ties to Belgium, including General Motors. One Belgian
company in particular heralded the future: Sabena Airlines proved in 1947 that the
sky’s the limit with its first commercial transatlantic flight from Brussels to
New York City!



BelCham Centennial 19

Throughout the 1950s, large corporations joined our Chamber, including Coca-Cola,
Chase Bank, GE and IBM. The Korean War led to an increase of Belgian imports such
as steel, cobalt and household products. To keep up with this growing demand our
Chamber partnered with the Belgian Embassy in Washington DC to give bespoke
recommendations and advice.
At the same time, our focus became increasingly more European. Our first Benelux
Luncheon at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel counted 600 attendees (including the US
Secretary of Commerce) and was live broadcasted in the US, Belgium and the
Netherlands. Even more, the bonds between our countries were so strong that for
the first time in history, we hosted a joint pavilion at the US World Trade Fair in
1957. Fun fact: One year later we chartered a Sabena plane to fly over a 63-person
delegation to Expo 58 in Brussels!
To stimulate Belgian-American trade, our Chamber surveyed thousands of Americans
on their perception of Belgium and Belgian trade opportunities. The research was
published as the Belgian-American Survey with over 15,000 copies sold, even in
Hong Kong and India.



BelCham Centennial 21

A new Chapter began as we opened our first office in Brussels. It was a time of
innovation for our Chamber, as we established a commercial reference library,
added a teletype machine for rapid transmission of commercial information to and
from Belgium and created a library of photos of Belgian industry for the US press.
To appeal to a larger American market, we even decided to change our name to the
Belgian-American Chamber of Commerce in the United States, Inc. We grew our
community to 600 members and offered a workplace for Belgian businesses visiting
NYC.
Notable events in this decade were a luncheon with Prince Albert and Princess
Paola in 1960, and an event with Minister Paul Henri Spaak on the potential of the
European Common Market in 1962. We also organized multiple Port of Antwerp
Days, and hosted one of the first extensive European collaborations in the USA - an
European luncheon in honor of Walter Hallstein, President of the Commission of
the EEC. Our cornerstone event in 1968, a seminar on Protectionist Tendencies,
featuring a panel of 12 European and American experts was thwarted by the Great
New York Garbage Strike. 180 people still made it through the trash storm.



BelCham Centennial 23

For the first time since its foundation, our Chamber started to look beyond shipping,
banking, and commodity companies which defined ourfirst 50 years. In the 1970s,
the First State Reform in Belgium also caused waves in our Chamber. Since inception,
we had been primarily francophone, based on the heavy industrial centers in the
South of Belgium, concerns were increasingly voiced in favor of linguistic parity on
our Chamber’s Board of Directors.
Along with the end of the Vietnam War, the demand for Belgian imported goods
decreased in the US. The continuing decline is coupled with significant anti-dumping
issues. Belgian exports subject to these measures included float glass and steel.
As trade between our countries took a blow, we began to look across the US for
opportunities. We invested in the establishment of a Midwest Chapter in Chicago
in 1975. Three years later Sabena asked our Chamber to launch a Southwestern
Chapter in their offices in Atlanta.



BelCham Centennial 25

Different challenges would bring our Chamber to the verge of bankruptcy throughout
this decade. But, where there’s a will, there’s a way - and there is good news too.
Our Chamber was excited to announce Louis W. Truman, cousin of President
Harry S. Truman, as Chairman of the Southwest Chapter. Significant new members
included Barco, Bekaert, FN, Cockerill, Beaulieu and Parein.
The era of digitization pushed our Chamber to modernize: the 80 Directors on the
Board were asked for a $500 donation to invest in equipment, including a small IBM
computer and database software.
With the Belgian Franc favoring US Dollar rates, Belgian exports to the US experienced
a boost, suddenly shifting our main activity to advising American companies on
importing from Belgium.
A large-scale survey conducted by our Chamber found that US customers were
happy with the quality of Belgian products, but uncovered poor communication
skills by the Belgian companies. An additional survey, by request of Minister Herman
De Croo, highlighted the need to teach Belgian companies how to sell on the US
market and how to adapt to American ways of doing business. Challenge accepted
by our Chamber!



BelCham Centennial 27

As the Belgian Government Trade Attachés are temporarily reduced in the US, we
started to attend art fairs and trade shows focused on culture, all the while putting
a new focus on creating community gatherings including the Belgian American
Friendship Awards and the ‘Taste of Belgium’ annual galas in Atlanta.
On a different note, European collaboration and Benelux-focused programming
became priorities. Furthermore, our Chamber started ‘Road Shows’ to represent
Belgian SMEs at trade shows across the East Coast of the US.
In those years our Chamber moved to the 13th Floor of the Empire State Building
under the leadership of a new team and Board of Directors. We also launched our
first website and made Georges Ugeux, the group EVP of the NY Stock Exchange,
Chairman of the Board. His vision would lay the foundation for decades to come,
“The role of the Chamber will be to accompany Belgian enterprises by helping them
win at developing this key ingredient for success in the US, networking.”



BelCham Centennial 29

Our Chamber reoriented itself to match the new millennium. Our role shifted from
problem solver to service provider with a solid network of specialized knowledge.
Highlights included large-scale galas with the Royal Family attending, getting us
published in the NY Times and dancing into the New Year at the NY Stock Exchange!
Notable Friendship Awards honored the unique history between the Port of Antwerp
and the Port Authority of NY and New Jersey as well as former US Secretary of State
Henry Kissinger.
After years of preparation, we launched our J-1visa intern and trainee program in
2002. Ever since, this exchange has helped hundreds of young professionals and
member companies! Our Chamber increasingly worked with local authorities on
an international event at JFK International Airport and a Captain Session with the
Deputy Mayor of NYC. Furthermore, our Chamber strengthened our cooperation
with the European-American Chamber of Commerce, raising our profile.
Sadly, Executive Director of the Atlanta Chapter Werner Boel was shot, causing a
stir within the community. Despite this unfortunate tragedy, this decade also marked
new beginnings with an ever increasing number of Belgian companies entering the
US and the opening of our new Chapters in Detroit and Silicon Valley!



BelCham Centennial 31

A new look and a new name: We set out to reinvent the concept of a Chamber of
Commerce and introduced an updated brand identity. As a financially independent
not-for-profit and NGO, BelCham was honored by the Mayor’s Office of NY as the
leading example of how to promote international business. Over 50 Chambers of
Commerce, business associations, and government institutions, from Austria to
Venezuela, looked at BelCham for inspiration and insights.
Revolutionary innovations included the launch of the first incubator for Belgian
companies abroad: BelCham Atelier in NYC. This project became possible in 2013
under the visionary leadership of President Chris Burggraeve and Managing Director
Bieke Claes, and thanks to a sublet of KBC and donations of over 1.1 million USD
from Founding & Supporting Partners. The sponsored Premium Belgian beer by AB
Inbev helped to turn our incubator into a welcoming community!
In 2016, BelCham also opened Atelier in the Bay and became the third largest
binational Chamber of Commerce of the EU-27 in the US. We also introduced
missions for visiting delegations from Belgium and a transatalantic accelerator
program, dubbed “Catalyst”.
In 2019, BelCham is closing one century of international trade with the ‘Party of the
Century’, and looking forward to the future under the new leadership of President
Marianne Amssoms, and Co-MD’s Laurence Van den Keybus & Valerie Van den
Keybus.

3

3 Ourfuture

Our future vision

As Belgians, we are proud to be on the pulse and at the heart of Europe, exemplifying
its multilingual and multi-faceted core in our identity. We have a unique perspective
and strong commitment to continue to lead by example.
Over the next few years, we aim to introduce Europe as a collaborative, innovative
force on American soil. We want to activate a collective of supportive players and
European-American networks to create personal, professional and economic
opportunities across borders.
We know from experience that cultivating an “entrepreneurial mindset” helps our
members to dream bigger, to foster more ambition, and to convert modesty into
courage. We will build out our vision for our ‘Academy’ - a sustainable entrepreneurial
school with online & offline programming, making entrepreneurship more accessible
and creating impact at a larger scale.
Internationalization remains a ‘hot topic’ for growth companies. The scale in the US is
huge and we want to give every European entrepreneur the chance to internationalize
in a scalable way. We want to lower the entry barrier and expose startups to more
opportunities throughout the US, so they can push their ideas forward, faster, and
make the world better. We will be their voice, partner, and competitive advantage in
the US market - providing them with the necessary content, contacts and support, at
the right time.

BelCham Centennial 35

Atelier

a market-entry hub allowing transatlantic startups to reach a
bigger market faster and build world-class companies

Academy

bespoke programming, workshops and transformative
experiences that turn entrepreneurial dreams into successful
ventures and careers

Assembly

community-driven events that bring together an international
collective, willing to exchange best practices and engage in the
most relevant conversations on international business

4

BelCham

4 Centennial

Our leadership

We have learned two important lessons over the last 100 years:
1) there is power in bringing like-minded people together;
2) we could never do what we do without the support of great leaders.
By gathering extraordinary people around shared principles and experiences, we are
a conduit for personal growth and economic progress.
THANK YOU to our former Presidents, Chairmen and Executive teams for building a
mission-driven organization that stands the test of time.

BelCham Centennial 39

Jules Maes Claire Raick
Lionel Hagenaers William S Mason, JR
José Callens Henry Diercxsens
Jean Cattier Marie-Noëlle du Bois de Vroylande
Pierre Bultinck Jean-Louis Lindekens
Harold Pfleeger Joseph Verbreaken
Daniel De Gorter J. Putzeys
Antoine Leenaards Christian Van Pelt
Emile Heyrman Robert Coles
Jacques Van Aubel Philippe Van Marcke
Alexander Varchaver George De Beir
Leon G Rucquoi Georges Ugeux
Robert Savoye Marie Caroline Lacocque
Joseph L Wilmotte Luc Vangerven
Daniel Le Roy du Vivier Rik Scheerlinck
Pierre Artigue Jean Pierre Paulet
Réne Aerts Tamara Zouboff
Eric de Spirlet Pierre Everaert
André H Vonderweidt Annelies De Rouck
Albert Van Oppens Patrick Daems
Mr. Robert Gottschalk Olivier Smekens
Gustave E Pairoux Bieke Claes
André C. Jacques Chris Burggraeve
R.A.M. Coppenrath Marianne Amssoms
John De Gorter Valerie Van den Keybus
Pierre A Fellar Laurence Van den Keybus



Centennial hosts

Our 100-year anniversary wouldn’t be the ultimate celebration without the support of
the companies and leaders that embody the best and brightest at the global stage;
the ones that represent transatlantic business success and are an inspiration to us
all.
Thank you for your trust and making this Centennial milestone one for the history
books.

Centennial partners & sponsors

BelCham Centennial 43

Centennial partners & sponsors

BelCham Centennial 45

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